Art Sub Plans: What to Do When the Lesson is Over

I'm always looking around for ideas to share with you about substitute teaching in art.  Today I found something I know your sub would love to know about. 

You know subbing is hard.  Yikes! We all have witnessed it with our own eyes. The lesson is finished and the sub is there with a class of kids who have nothing else to do. That's a recipe for bad behaviors to flare up

Janine Chen has come up with 50 Quick Activities for When Sub Lessons Run Short.  I would suggest that you print out the top five ones you think would work with your students and include them in your sub folder. Some might be new to you. Some are classics.  Kids will have fun with them and your sub will love you for it.

Ready Made Activities for Early Finishers

If you would like some printed worksheets for early finishers, you can find free and inexpensive ones at my TPT shop: Art Sub Lessons.

Circle Game - Free Art Worksheet 

Teachers, subs and parents may use this as an art game; a challenge; an early finishers activity; or an art lesson. Students create as many designs as they can think of using the circles provided. They may create imaginary objects; doodle designs; or as a way to list the things they can think of that are circular in shape. 

Early Finishers Art Activity - Create a Dragon in Disguise

One worksheet shows the lightly drawn in outline of a dragon. Around the sides of the paper are sample details that a student may use to create an original cartoon dragon. I have added an additional full page outline of a dragon that could be used. The student will also add details from their imaginations. After they have added all the details, they are directed to add a background and color their drawing. Much more of a creative outlet than a coloring sheet, your students will enjoy working on their own cartoon. This is one of those art activities in which every creation is a hit!

Early Finishers Art Activity -Create a Frog in Disguise

Need an art activity for an independent work packet? This drawing worksheet includes directions; sample details; and a lightly drawn in frog. All you need to do is print and distribute. Great for centers, subs and early finishers too.

Early Finishers Art Activity- Character

This drawing worksheet includes directions; sample details; and a lightly drawn in character. All you need to do is print and distribute. Great for centers, subs and early finishers too.

Early Finishers Art Activity - Red Riding Hood

Print and go. This art worksheet is a creative activity for students. The worksheet inclues a lightly drawn outline of Little Red Riding Hood. There are also sample details that the student may wish to include. They may also invent their own. A sheet of finished examples is included. This could be part of a station or center. It could be used in the classroom, art room, or with a sub. All the students need to provide are pencils, crayons and their imagination. (Bonus: I have just added a full page outline of Little Red Riding Hood as another drawing option you might choose.)

Early Finishers Art Activity - Trolls

Here's a review from a middle school teacher: "I loved how this ties in with the current Trolls movie- which so many of my students have seen being at home now. They enjoyed the assignment and being able to have the freedom to create whatever they wanted to make. Great activity !!"

There are plenty more as well.  Check them out at my shop:  Art Sub Lessons.

Magical and Imaginary Characters Art Sub Lesson

Imaginary and Magical Creatures - St. Patrick's Day Art Plan

The month of March is a fun opportunity to teach lessons about imaginary and magical creatures. Subs will love you for leaving them a lesson like this that will keep the kids engaged.

When you can be picky about who subs for you, I would request one that could use a DVD player or computer if I wanted to show a video. If you know you couldn't get that picky, find a picture book with leprechauns or about St. Patrick's Day.

When I teach this lesson or leave it for a sub, I love to show one of the old Reading Rainbow videos about St. Patrick's Day to go with it. You might be lucky enough to have it; find it to buy, or find it on YouTube. There are other resources you can use too, though. As of today, here's a YouTube video for the reading of "How to Catch a Leprechaun" on the Happy Cultivated channel. If you have access to the book itself, it is a good one to go with this lesson. (If you go with a video, always preview it first.)

Supplies Needed
-black pens, if they know how to use them properly OR pencils
-crayons
-paper
-a book or video about leprechauns or magical creatures



Dear Sub, Thank you so much for coming in today. You will be teaching kindergarten through fifth grade and my classes are all 55 minutes long.

I expect the children to work with a minimum of noise. Whispering might be okay but loud play isn't okay. Use your own judgment on what you will accept. If the whole class does not respect the noise level, you can have them put their heads down for a couple of minutes. This usually takes care of the problem when it does happen.

The lessons for today show the theme of St. Patrick's Day. Ask the students if they know anything about the holiday. Show them the DVD about St. Patrick's Day. It is already in the DVD player under the projector. (Press the red button on the projector once. Press the play button on the DVD player. To turn off the projector, press the red button slowly two times.)

Ask them to tell you about the magical creatures they saw in the video. What did they look like? What did they do? Have them talk about their magic. What was at the end of the rainbow?



Since magical creatures are imaginary, we could invent our own lucky creatures. It could be an animal. It could look like a person. It could have wings. It could be a magic genie. What color would it be? What magic could they do? Would they have treasure? Where would their treasure be? Would they be like a dragon? Would they be a magic horse or some other animal?

Think up a lucky creature that you would like to find. Draw your magical lucky creatures and show what magic they could do. You might have a lot of lucky creatures that live together.

Send three at a time to the taller tables and two to the shorter ones. Pick one student from each table to get supplies. They should get the following:
black pens
crayons (in the blue boxes)
paper (they should line up in front of you and tell you how many sheets they need for their table)

They should begin by writing their name and class codes on their papers. They will draw and color what they would like to happen on their lucky day. Remind them to work hard and use their imaginations.

As students start to finish, you can start playing the videos on the disk related to St. Patrick's Day. Students who are finished can watch the videos. Ones who want to continue to work on their artwork may do that as well.

They may watch that until the end of class or you can have the children bring their artwork to you....and you show the art, one at a time, to the class. Students should clap for each other when you show each picture. (Remind them to clap for everyone!)

At the time for the end of class, line the children up to wait for their teacher.





If you would like to leave a worksheet activity that your sub could use with this lesson, check out this activity in my TPT shop: Create a Leprechaun in Disguise It is great for early finishers.